CROW
by ZombieCatTookMyPudding
Summary: Takes place a year and a half after A Penny Too Many. Having left M.A.D., Talon is now a double agent for HQ, and a mysterious new organization known as CROW. With a goal of removing the line separating good and evil, just how far will he and the rest of the organization go to make it happen?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inspector Gadget (2015), or any other version of Inspector Gadget. All rights go to their respective owners.**

 **TIMELINE: A year and a half after _A Penny Too Many._ By no means are you required to read that, or _What Couldn't Be_ first, but I recommend it. Also, I've written a new fanfic that takes place before all of them, _Connection Severed_. Again, reading that is optional, but recommended.**

* * *

I lock the door to my apartment, shutting the blinds to all the windows. I live on the second floor, and it's late at night, so I figure it'd be pretty hard for anyone to peer in and watch me, yet I feel like I can never be too careful these days. Especially with the huge mess between good and evil that's going to go down in as soon as a few months. Making my way through the darkness to the bedroom in the back, I lock the door back there, and shut the blinds too, just in case.

I pull my cellphone out of my pocket. The name "Cody Crow" is the first on my contacts list. Drumming my fingers impatiently on my leg, I wait for him to pick up.

 _"Yello?"_ a deep, distorted voice answers.

"Cody, hey. It's Talon. I'm in."

 _"Excellent! Glad to hear that, buddy."_

"So, what do I do now?"

 _"Well, first thing's first. You might be an 'official' good guy, but it takes a lot to gain the trust of the heroic branches. Remember, you've already betrayed their trust once at a different location. They've probably got that on record somewhere. You've got to ' prove' to them that you've changed since then, and you're one of them. Pull off some daring heroics every now and then, but garner too much attention, and people might catch a whiff of what's really going on if you're not careful."_

"Right."

BEEP.

 _"Eh, gotta go: someone else is on another line. So, quick recap: play along, be a hero, but try not to draw too much attention to yourself. I'll call you in a couple of weeks to check on your progress, and depending how good of terms you are with them, we'll go from there. Sound good?"_

"Sounds great. Thanks, Cody."

 _"All right, talk to you later, kiddo."_

"Bye."

I just graduated from a brief training program in HQ. It didn't take all that long, since I'm already pretty physically and mentally adept from working for M.A.D., and occasionally fine-tuning my skills in their Villain Reformation Program. As far as HQ's concerned, I've turned over a new leaf, and am one of the good guys now.

What they don't know is that I'm a double agent: also belonging to an agency known as CROW. I'm not sure what it stands for, but if I just had to guess, it's more likely Cody, the agency's founder, just named it after himself, without a particular acronym in mind. The guy's only a few years older than me, but in eighteen months he's already got hundreds of double agents working for him on both sides of the good/evil alignment.

A little over a year and a half ago, I had gotten so fed up with working for M.A.D., I knew something needed to change, so I decided to get a new job. No one wanted to take me because of my track record, but one night, I got an email from a guy named Cody Crow. He said he'd been watching me for a long time (which, admittedly, I found pretty creepy), and really admired my skills. He was willing to hire me in Riverton, and make living arrangements for me under one condition: I had to prove myself capable of tearing something apart from the inside-out.

Professor Von Slickstein in HQ's Metro City's branch had made a cloning machine that could easily be corrupted by a glitch virus, so I snuck in to place one on it. All it took was a day or two, and clones of filled up the entire city to the point where they had to evacuate. Impressed, he hired me right after.

I _would_ have begun the work he had cut out for me sooner, but HQ busted us to the police, and we were all placed in the nearest VRP building where I was kept until about a week ago. Keeping in touch via phone calls, he said I had run into an opportunity to get into heroes heads, and figure out just how they work. And the exact opposite is the reason HQ wanted me: I used to be a villain, so I would know all their moves.

Which side is CROW for? Well, neither, really. If anything, we're actively against _both_. Our main goal is to take down both the good, and bad; to tear apart all of their organizations until only CROW remains. Without good or bad, no one has to pick sides. If CROW is the only one you can pick, police brutality and crime levels will decrease by a long shot once we're the only ones in control.

Yeah, seems like a bit of a stretch, and there's probably some details that make this more complicated than it sounds, but if we reach what we've been working for, it will keep more people from having what happened between me and Penny happen to them.

Penny was my arch-nemesis. And, as much as it may sound like an oxymoron, she was basically my only friend. We liked each other as more than friends for years, but our loyalty to our respective agencies kept us apart. We tried being just friends for a while, but given our chemistry together, you can only imagine how well that went. She wanted to take things back to a professional level. Admittedly, I could've handled it better, but ultimately it was the straw that broke my back. I know I've really played up my jackass traits in our last few weeks together, and even exaggerated the depression I felt over it, but it wasn't without a good reason: getting over her was already difficult, and I'm not sure if I'll ever truly be over her, but I figured if I were a total butt to her, it would be much easier for her to let go of me than it was for me to let go of her.

Come to think of it, Riverton is only about fifteen minutes from Metro City. Does Penny even know I live here? Probably not, but maybe that's for the better. How would she react once she found out what was going on? Would she forgive me if it were for a good (or, I should say, "neutral") cause? Would she despise me for it? Either way, I'd probably have to do a lot of explaining when this was all over.


	2. Chapter 2

Stirring, I could have sworn I heard the window open. I feel something against my hand. I sit up just in time to see the window close. I pick up a small blue ball, and read the message that pops up from a screen on it.

 _"To any Riverton agent it may concern: M.A.D. has a bakery robbery underway, stealing not just money, but baked goods as well. Intel isn't sure why, but it can't be good. They are currently holding hostages from both Riverton and Metro City, including some of our agents who have been rendered helpless. Your mission is to come in for back-up and stop them in their tracks. This message will self-destruct."_

 _Oh crap!_

Thinking fast, I open the window and toss the message-bomb in the air. A second later, a black bird about the size of a pigeon falls onto my window sill. It looks like it got knocked out of the air by the bomb.

 _Oh...crap._

It's still alive, but there's a gaping, bleeding wound in its wing, probably caused by the bomb. I'm pretty sure it won't be able to fly again on its own. My evil instincts are telling me to just leave it there and make it fend for itself, but I feel that's a bit much, even for me. Luckily, I randomly came across an article on the internet about how to care for injured birds the other day. (Who knew asking random questions on the net about whatever comes to mind would be useful?)

I grab a box from the kitchen and poke some holes in it. I take a towel, fold it up, and put it on the bottom. I fill a zip-top bag with hot water, and wrap it in a smaller towel, putting it in the box. Grabbing some garden gloves and a towel, I go back for the bird. It seems more aware now, and pretty freaked out (not that I blame it).

"CAW!" Upon closer look, its wings have a purpleish-green tint in the sun. Looks like a crow ended up in here. I'm sure it's just a coincidence, but what are the odds? I cover up the bird with the extra towel to try and calm it. I struggle to hold it as it squirms in my hands.

Rushing it back into the kitchen, I close the box lid and wash my hands. Taking a small cup, I fill it a quarter-way and place it with it in case the bird gets thirsty while I'm gone. I'll have to deal with the rest later. Better not blow my cover.

"Sorry, buddy. I'll be back in a little bit. Okay?"

In the hallway, I use my Codex to get into my default disguise: a brown, mid-part hairstyle (which is so outdated by the way), and square glasses over blue eyes. It was based off of a disguise I used frequently when I was younger. I look dorky as hell, but Grandma Claw insisted that I wear it, just in case (but she never really gave any reason beyond that). I keep the HQ uniform so the agents know I'm on their side. Since there's some HQ agents from Metro City being held there, I decide to wear it just in case you-know-who was there.

* * *

Luckily, the bakery wasn't too far from my apartment. I can see a crowd gathered around, some of them cop cars, some of them bystanders. I see a couple of agents from the Riverton branch hanging around the front, but it seems like they can't get in too easily. Rookie mistake: going in through the front door would be too obvious. There's got to be another way in.

Sneaking around to the back, there's two entrances: both of which are guarded by one person each. If it's just the two of them, I can take it.

"Hey," I greet them casually as they look over at me, "how's it going?" Using my whole body as force to knock one of the guards in the jaw, he falls to the ground, unconscious. The other one lunges at me, but I dodge him. My kick landing on his face, he loses balance and falls backwards, hitting his head on the concrete. They were stupid enough to leave the door unlocked. Sure enough, there's the hostages in the back. "Someone call for back-up?" Making a villainous entrance is the best, but coming in like a big damn hero feels pretty good, too.

The first one to make eye-contact with me was a familiar pigtailed blonde tied back-to-back with a black girl her age, wearing a similar uniform. I _knew_ I was right not to come as myself! Man, they got her good! I'd laugh if I didn't have a cover to keep. I untie the agents first, and they help me untie everyone else.

"All right," the black girl says. "Let's go kick some bad guy butt!" Stepping forward, she winces.

"Not with _that_ ankle you're not, Kayla."

"Oh come on, Pen: it's just a sprain."

"Just sit back here with everyone else. We'll only take a minute."

"Ugh. _Fine."_

Opening the door, we stand in the main room.

"What the-?"

"What's up?"

Together, we take the group of four out in a minute, just like Penny said. Less than a minute, actually: probably more like forty seconds or so. The cops move through the door, making a quick arrest to the thieves.

"Nice!" she compliments me.

"Thanks. And you are?" I pretend not to know who she is to give myself a second to come up with a fake name for myself.

"Agent Penny Brown; Metro City Branch. And you?"

"Agent Matt Hill; Riverton Branch," I said the first name that popped into my mind. "I just joined yesterday."

"Welcome." I try not to blush as she shakes my hand. Briefly, memories of that night at the club flicker through my mind. "Well, maybe I'll see you around."

"Yeah...uh, see you around."

Rushing back out of the door, I decide it's not a good idea to stick around for long. Besides, I have to figure out what the hell to do with that stupid bird.


	3. Chapter 3

"What do you think M.A.D.'s plan have to do with an old sports supplies warehouse?" I ask Penny disguised as Matt as we walk down a dark corridor.

"Who knows, who cares?" she asks, beating a fist into her flat hand. "I've just been looking forward to kicking some bad-guy ass all day long."

"Ditto that." She laughs as I flash her a charming grin.

It seemed lately M.A.D.'s evil schemes had been weaving in and out of the borders between Riverton and Metro City. Of course, inevitably, some of the top agents from both respective agencies end up working together to take them down.

We sneak behind a pile of boxes. There's definitely M.A.D. agents over there all right, but they're talking so quietly, I can't hear a single word they're saying.

 _"Ready?"_ I mouth to her.

 _"Let's go,"_ she mouths back.

"FREEZE!" We jump out, stun guns up. The MAD agents turn: we definitely got their attention. Penny and I whip out our badges at the same time.

"Riverton and Metro City HQ," I announce to the criminals as we place our badges back on our belts. "You're under arrest for...whatever evil plan you guys are up to now."

Scowling, the biggest one takes his weapon and shoots, luckily missing.

"Okay, you guys wanna _play rough?"_ Penny loads her stun gun. _"Fine._ Let's _play rough,_ then."

The next thing we know, guns get fired, sports gear goes flying...and it's only about half a minute before Penny and I find ourselves tied back-to-back, bound by bolos. How would those of all things get into a _sports warehouse?!_

"...Well...that didn't go as we planned." I comment awkwardly.

"Yeah, ya think?"

"GO GO GADGET SPRINGS!" A familiar voice calls from outside. Busting through a window is Penny's cyborg uncle, Inspector Gadget. I repress a groan.

 _Please don't mess this up...I think to myself._

The guns break loose on him, but his limber body dodges them with ease.

"Go Go Gadget Mallet!" With a single smack, Gadget knocks all the M.A.D. agents into a pile. "Go Go Gadget Refridge-a-Gadget!" In seconds, the whole warehouse except me, Penny, and him turn to frozen blocks of ice. With a satisfied smile he turns towards us. "And _that,_ kids, is how you make a proper arrest."

It literally takes all my willpower not to have my jaw drop open in amazement.

Loosening the bolos so we can step away from the beam we were tied to, he looks at me, his smile turning to a frown of thought. "Hmm...you look familiar. Have we met?"

"This is Agent Matt Hill, from the Riverton HQ branch, Uncle Gadget. He's been helping me on missions that involve both our cities, which seems to be happening a lot these past few weeks."

"I see..." my heart begins to pound as he stares at me in suspicion. "Well," I'm startled as his face turns much friendlier in a split second, and he shakes my hand. "it's always a pleasure to meet new agents helping in a fight against crime."

* * *

Standing outside the warehouse, I watch Chief Quimby congratulate him.

"You okay?" Penny asks.

"It's just, um...I've heard...rumors about this guy, your uncle. You know, how he always saves the day...but it seems like he always does it on accident. But this time around, he got those M.A.D. agents without even breaking a sweat! You know, if cyborgs even can sweat."

"Yeah. Between you, me and the lamppost, saving the day was pretty much always accidental with my help in the background for a long time, up until about a year and a half ago. I'm not sure if you've heard about this, but there was this time where Metro City was filled up with clones...of me. Uncle Gadget got it to stop by fixing this glitch virus on a cloning machine, but it sent out a shock that kind of 'reset' him to his former glory before that whole 'Banana Incident'. Now he's been the best of the best, whether I'm there or not."

"Wow...that's...amazing." And I really mean it, too. Looks like Inspector _Tin Can_ became Inspector _Whoop-a-Can-of-'Kick'-On-Your-Ass._

* * *

Every two-to-three days or so, I visit the _Riverton Bird Sanctuary_ on my way home. Since I don't have a license to hold wild animals in my home (and my apartment complex doesn't allow pets anyway), I had to call the wildlife experts to take the crow I found and nurse him back to health. They told me he was otherwise young and healthy, so he should be good to go back on his own pretty soon, but it eases my conscious to check on him every now and then. Since then, we've formed something of a special bond, one could say. I even named him "Edgar" (short for Edgar Allen Poe ((sigh) _yes,_ I know the original poem was a raven, not a crow, and I'm otherwise not a fan of the name, but I think it kind of suits him), a name which he seems to respond to whenever I call him.

Sitting down on a bench, I turn off my "Matt" disguise, casually take an apple out of the bag I've been carrying with me, and take a bite out of it.

"CAW!" Looking down next to me, there's my crow friend, looking up at me with dilated, dark eyes. He looks like he's getting a little bit better every time I see him. Swallowing, I greet him:

"Hey there, buddy." He closes his eyes as I lightly stroke his head. I look at the apple in my hand. "Oh, I'm sorry," I ask teasingly, "did you want a bite?"

"CAW!"

Chuckling, I take a smaller bite of the apple, spit it out in my hand, and feed it to him.

"There. Better?"

"CAW!"

"Ahem." I look up to see a brunette woman about mid-thirties or so in a khaki uniform, folding her arms with a stern smile on her face.

"Wanda! Hey..." I greet her casually as she raises an eyebrow at me, "...how's it going?"

"You know the rules, Talon. No outside food in the sanctuary."

"Right, right. Sorry." I put the apple back in my bag. She sighs and sits down next to me, Edgar hopping closer to me to give her some room.

"Listen, Talon. Your heart's in the right place; it's clear you care about this bird, and you just want to help him. I understand; my empathy for injured animals is what made me want to get a job in animal sanctuaries like this." Wanda strokes Edgar's head with one of her gloved hands. _"However, part of that job_ is enforcing the rules on guests here, for both their safety, and the birds'. My boss has noticed you sharing your food with him, and he says if you don't stop, we're going to have to ban you from the sanctuary." She shakes her head. "You're a good kid, Talon, and Edgar has really grown attached to you. I really don't want to have to do that."

'Good' is hardly a word I'd use to describe myself, but I take the label with a grain of salt, and just try to focus what she's trying to say. "I understand. Just trying to do your job, right?" I ask, getting up from the bench.

"Exactly. Glad to hear we're on the same page."

"I should probably get home anyway. I'm expecting a phone call from work pretty soon."

"Caw..." Edgar flutters his wings, a sad look in his eyes.

"Aw, it's okay, E. I'll be back." I stroke his head one more time. "I always come back, remember?"

I can never stand looking back at him when I leave. He always gives me these puppy-dog eyes, possibly in hopes that I'll at least give him another treat before I go.

* * *

I unlock the door to my apartment, and flick the lights on. I find myself looking into a pair of icy-blue eyes peering out from a crow mask that otherwise covers the whole face. "AH!" I gasping, clutching my chest, startled.

"Relax, kid. It's just me," the deep, distorted voice says. My brain recognizes the figure on the couch as my boss, Cody Crow. I've seen him in person before, but never in this bright of lighting: except for his eyes, he's covered head-to-toe, the crow mask taking up his whole head. Neck-down is in a black suit with feathered shoulders. His hands have black gloves with a slight "claw" to them, and his business-casual shoes are (of course I'm sure you've guessed,) black.

"Yeah, okay, sure. Go ahead and sit in my apartment with all the lights turned off, waiting for me to come back. That's not creepy or weird at all," I comment, rolling my eyes on the last statement.

"You're forgetting the apartment technically has rent under my name. Plus, I have a spare key," he demonstrated by dangling it in front of me. I briefly sniff the air.

"Are you cooking something?"

 _BEEEEEP. BEEEEEP. BEEEEEP._

"Ooh! Pizza's ready!" Speaking of food, I figure I better finish up my apple before it rots. Setting the pizza on top of the stove, he looks over my way. "Hey, wait. You got an apple over there?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Apples...goes great with cheese pizza."

"Are you serious?"

"Yep, trust me. If you let me cut up what's left of your apple, I'll put a little bit on your slice."

"O...kay...?" I hand him the apple. Leaping from the kitchen, he swipes it from my hand, and gets it on the counter almost faster than the blink of an eye. Cody cuts up the apple into fine slices, and sprinkles them over half the pizza. I wonder if he ever worked culinary fine arts. Whipping the pizza cutter from the drawer, he cuts two small slices.

"Say, where do you keep the plates?"

"That cupboard just above you." I take a seat at the small table.

"Ah." Whisking the plates onto the table, he sits down in the chair across from me. A pause sits between us, broken by him giving an encouraging gesture.

Skeptically, I cock my head, but nevertheless decide to try it. Strangely, the sweet crispness of the apples gives a nice contrast to the tangy tomato sauce underneath, and compliments the slightly salty cheese on top.

"Mmm?"

"Mm-hm," I give a thumbs-up.

"Awesome. You've got good taste, Talon." Pressing a button on the side of his mask, a small compartment over his mouth slides up, allowing him to eat the slice. From what I can see, his skin is a pale brown, lighter than mine. Looks like _somebody's_ not a big fan of getting a sun-tan.

"So, uh, what brings you to my humble abode? Weren't we supposed to check in with each other through phone calls? Not that, I'm _complaining_ or anything, it's just, I, didn't expect you to show up out of nowhere." Pressing the button again, the compartment slides down again.

"Because I felt we have an issue that we needed to address on a bit more...personal level. Face-to-face. _Mano-a-Mano. Comprende?"_

 _"Si."_

"Haha, good. Now then, let's cut to the chase." He folds his arms, leaning forward on the table. "I've noticed you've been hanging around a _certain_ pigtailed blonde an _awful_ lot lately. Is she going to be a _problem_ for you?"

"...You mean Penny? I don't understand what you mean by 'problem'."

"I just know that the two of you have quite a history together. You've even earned the affectionate nickname of 'The Romeo and Juliet of Good and Evil', by the junior HQ and M.A.D. agents."

"Wow, that's really what they call us?"

"So I've heard from rumors. Anyhoo, my point is: I know when she broke your heart, you kinda snapped and turned semi-rogue against M.A.D. Say she does it again, or some other girl (or guy, I'm not judging), you get into does it again: is it going to shake your allegiance to our organization?"

"No! No, sir. Penny was only _part_ of the reason why I left M.A.D. Mostly it was because of my uncle's abusive nature towards me, and just getting tired of getting stuck in the rut, you know?"

"Hm. I suppose that's understandable." Everything is quiet between us as we both finish our slices. Pressing the button to his mouth-compartment-voice-changer-thingy again, he stands up. "All right. For the most part, I trust you. Still...couldn't hurt to take precautions, now could it?"

"Wait, what do you mean by 'precautions'?"

"I have something in mind, I just need the right person to do it." He looks into my widened eyes as I swallow. "Don't worry:" he laughs, "I'm not going to _kill you_ or anything, far from it! Everyone in my organization serves their purpose, one way or another. Just keep tuned for a phone call or an e-mail from me or something. Rest of the pizza's yours for seconds, thirds, leftovers, or even toss it, I don't care what you wanna do with it. I gotta run." Getting up from the chair, he adds, "there's lots of other tasks as an organization leader I gotta take care of, but," he places a gloved hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad we had this talk, you and I."

"Yeah, I'll uh, keep an eye out."

"There you go. Alright, kid, I'm off. See ya."

"Bye." It's like he left as soon as he came.

Sighing, I lean back into my chair, releasing a breath in attempt to take some of the pressure and stress of my mind. Seriously, what does he mean "precautions"?


	4. Chapter 4

Around midnight or so, I get a text from Cody:

 _Hey, kid. Come to my Riverton location, ASAP. There's someone I'd like you to meet._

Luckily, I still have my rocket boots after all this time. Even better, they still work. I'm about to put them on and turn them on...then I decide it's better to wait until I'm outside first.

* * *

"WHOAOAOAOA!" As I hit the wooden floor, I'm grateful the window was open, so I didn't get glass shards in me. Groaning and getting up, I turn around to find Cody holding up a notepad, the number "10" written on it.

"That...was literally, like the best landing, ever."

"Whatever, man." I notice a hot Asian girl with a bob-style haircut sitting in a chair against the wall, properly poised. "Well, hello, who are you?" I ask, raising an eyebrow in interest.

"My name is Atsuko Kasshoku," she stands up, bowing respectfully. "I am from CROW's branch in Tokyo, Japan, but I have transferred to the one here in Riverton."

"We have a branch in Japan?" I ask.

Cody throws his head back in laughter. "Oh, Talon...we have branches essentially everywhere." He props his feet up on his desk. "Anyways, I've been looking for some female recruits in the area around your age, and Atsuko, who's looking for a place to stay in Riverton, was happy to volunteer."

"For what?"

"To pose as your girlfriend, silly," Atsuko chimes.

"Woah, what?! Hey," I laugh nervously. "That's moving kind of fast, isn't it? I don't know about you, but you should probably get to know someone before you call them your boyfriend."

"Easy, Romeo, I said to _pose_ as your girlfriend. Cody told me what's going on, and this girl you are interested in seems to be distraction for you. All I'd have to do is be around you when she is, so the two of you won't be tempted to flirt."

"For how long?"

"Just until this is over. After CROW has accomplished its goal, you could marry her and start a family for all I care. Besides, it's not like we'd _really_ be dating, it's just a façade."

"Hm," Cody sits up. "I have a good feeling about you two: I bet you'll get along great."

* * *

Apparently, Cody arranged for her to stay in a nearby hotel, all expenses paid. So, the next day, Atsuko met me at my apartment (my address also being provided by him), I showed her where the HQ branch for Riverton was, and signed her up for the agent training program. After all, they figured I'm more likely to run into Penny on missions than anywhere else, so it would be a good move to have Atsuko pose as an HQ agent as well.

Shortly afterwards, I received my mission for the day: apparently, the Mayor of Metro City's six-year-old son, Wyatt, has been captured, with the Metro City branch threatening that he give him a ransom for his release, but he was believed to be held in the Riverton base to throw them off. I roll my eyes. You would think they would be more creative with where they operate by now.

Turning on my "Matt" disguise, hoping it would be enough to fool Atsuko, just in case she happened to run into us. Smiling at the thought of meeting Penny there somewhere, I think to myself, _I appreciate the help, Cody, but I can handle myself._

* * *

Sure enough, there she is: out on hill just outside the Riverton base, scanning the building for heat signatures. Normally, I hate routine, but I'm glad being able to see her on a regular basis is one thing I can count on. Looking over and smiling at me, I can tell she's come to expect the same thing.

"You see him?" I ask. Turning on the heat signature setting on her Codex again, she scans the building.

"There," she turns it off, "in a room in the back. I don't know his current condition, but his was a little cooler than the others, so it made him harder to see. They must have drugged the poor kid or something."

"Well, what're we waiting for? Let's go in there and bust up those kidnappers!"

"Hang on. The number of agents was higher than anticipated, so I've called for a little back-up, hope you don't mind."

"No, no, not at all. They've actually sent a few others to come with me, but, those slow-pokes just couldn't keep up, I guess."

"Hey!" Kayla comes running up the hill, running out of breath. Looks like her ankle's gotten better. "Hey, sorry I'm late. Phew. What'd I miss?"

"Not much, where are the others?"

"Catching up."

The plan is simple, and pretty straightforward: Penny, Kayla, and the other agents (once they get their out-of-shape asses over here) beat up the M.A.D. agents, while I sneak into the back through all the commotion, grab the kid, and get out.

* * *

It happened so fast, I wasn't quite sure how it started. All I knew was that I had to dodge the bullets and crap being fired back and forth at each other. Activating a laser on my wristwatch, I used it to pick the lock on the door.

"No!" the little kid shields his face. "Please don't hurt me!"

"It's okay. My name is Agent Matt Hill, I'm one of the good guys, I promise." Groggily, he looks up at me with dark eyes, but wiping a tear away, he nods. "Can you walk?"

"Not well."

"Well, don't worry. We're going to get you safe and sound back to your dad, okay?"

Fortunately, he's really not heavy at all. I run through the shadows with his head buried in my shoulder.

Within minutes, everyone else has the M.A.D. agents wrapped up, and the police arrive to take them in. The Metro City mayor was so grateful to have his son back, he was going to throw a celebration for returning him, and all of the HQ agents who went on the mission were invited.

* * *

"So, you heading to that celebration tomorrow?"

"Duh! What would I miss it for?" I ask.

She laughs. "Hey, um...I don't mean to come on strong or anything but...I was wondering if maybe you'd like to grab some lunch or something?"

Before I can answer, my cellphone rings. The caller doesn't have an identity, but the number looks familiar. "Just a sec, I gotta take this." I pick up the phone. "Hello?"

 _"Talon, where are you?"_ Atsuko is on the other side. That's why I recognized it: we exchanged numbers last night, just in case we needed to reach each other. I hadn't bothered to put her in my phone yet.

"Um, just wrapping up something. Why?"

 _"The training session ended early. Some stupid kid played a prank that set the whole training area on fire."_

"Oh, jeez. You okay?"

 _"I'm fine. No one's hurt or anything but, I'm stuck here: I don't know how to get back to the hotel."_

"Uh...yeah, I'll come pick you up, no problem."

 _"Do you have a cold? Your voice sounds different."_

"Not to worry, I'll be right over, bye." I hang up quickly before she can say anything else.

Penny and I are caught in an awkward silence.

"So...I take it now's not a good time?" she asks.

"Unfortunately, no. But that's okay: maybe we'll get something after the party tomorrow. Granted they don't bring food there and we end up stuffing ourselves before we can go get anything."

"Haha, that doesn't sound too bad. It'd be cheaper at least."

"Hey, Pen, could you come over here a sec?" Kayla calls. "We could use your help with something."

"Coming!" she calls back. "Looks like I have to go, too."

"Kay, I'll just see you at the party then."

Turning to leave, I realize how hot my cheeks have gotten. Did she really just ask me out? On one hand, this is great! I didn't think she would move on so quickly. On the other...I'm not sure how long I can keep the charade up. But maybe it wouldn't have to be permanent. It would just be until this whole good vs evil thing came to its knees.

But what would happen then? Do I reveal myself? Do I leave town and never come back? I take a deep breath. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. In the meantime, if I'm going to be seeing Penny on a regular basis, I'm going to have to figure out how to juggle her, and my act with Atsuko until that day comes.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

 **I know it's been a while since I've updated. Thank you for your patience.**

* * *

The ceremony at the beginning of the party was a real laugh. All you had to do was smile and act all modest about the awards you got, even though you totally fucking earned them, but the after-party was where the real fun began. It wasn't a total off-the-hook party where people had lampshades on their heads like in the movies, but it still had good music and even better food.

I, (in my Matt disguise, obviously,) happened to be chilling about a room's length away from the speakers, just nodding my head to the beat, and watching Penny dance. She's not very good at it...her moves are so corny. Who does the sprinkler and that disco finger thing anymore? She really is such a dork. A cute dork, but still a dork.

I laugh as she dances her way up to me. She says something, but since the music is so loud, all I can see are her lips moving.

"Can't hear you over the subwoofer!" I smile casually pointing to my ear.

She looks like she repeats what she says.

"Still can't hear you!" My smile turns to a grin.

This time, when she talks, I can just barely hear her voice, but it doesn't make any sense.

"CAN'T! HEAR YOU! OVER THE FREAKIN' SUBWOOFER!"

We both laugh. I wonder if she actually understood me.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. Shit, it's Atsuko. Was her training for the day really over already?

"GOTTA TAKE THIS!" I yell as I point to my cellphone. She nods. Well, that's at least one line of communication we got across.

Stepping away from the music, and I answer the call just before it gets to its last ring.

"Yello?"

 _"Hey, where are you? You were supposed to meet me at HQ by this time."_

"Oh, right! Yeah, sorry, forgot about that." No I didn't.

 _"...What's that noise? Music?"_

"Yeah, the building next door is having a party," I lied.

 _"Okay, well, wherever you are, I need a ride back."_

"What about that Taxee Cabb app you've got? Can't you use that to get back?"

 _"No, I'm broke."_

"Yet you can afford to fly over here?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

 _"It took all my money."_

"But you've still got your cell, obviously: just use Maps to get back. It's at 102 Main Street. Remember, you're looking for the Green Rug Hotel. I know English isn't your first language, but the sign should be pretty straightforward. See you later." Before she can protest or come up with some other excuse, I hang up. Even if the things she said are true, I'm not an idiot, I know what she's doing: if we're together all the time, we'll look more like a couple. Not to mention she's basically Penny repellent, the last thing I want right now.

Speaking of Penny, the pretty blonde happened to come up behind me after I ended the call.

"Hi," she greets me.

"Hey," I return the smile. "What were you trying to say, earlier?"

"I was asking if you were enjoying the party."

"Oh yeah, it's great! It's been a long time since I've gotten out to do something like this." Finally, something I can say to her that's actually true. It's just a shame that last time I was able to party like this, it was on an impromptu surprise semi-date with her two years ago.

"Really? Me too." Sighing, she continues, "obviously being one of HQ's top agents, I can't drop my guard completely. Evil never rests, nor will I."

 _You think being an agent for one group is hard, try being one for two,_ I think with a smile.

"Yeah, me neither. Totally get it."

* * *

"Kayla! Seriously! Stop! You're going to choke!" Penny protests.

I both know I probably shouldn't have been among the small crowd encouraging Kayla to chug from one of the punch bowls, but who knew the girl had such a stomach for sugar? While everyone else was cheering for her finishing the whole thing, Penny shakes her head disapprovingly.

"God, I can't believe you just did that,"

"I'm HIC! Going through a HIC! Hard time right now. Lemme have a little fun, would ya? HIC!"

A glint catches my eye. Looking over I noticed...it was the sun briefly reflecting off of Atsuko's phone screen. "Oh no," I mutter.

"Something wrong, Matt?" Penny asks, concerned.

"Oh! No, I..." I quickly pull my phone out of my pocket. "Just remembered that my pet bird has a dentist appointment! I should uh, head home a bit early, then."

"Uh, okay...bye!" Penny calls as I rush from the party.

As soon as I know she's turned around, I hide behind a nearby tree. Scrolling my Code-Ex for disguises, I just settle for someone dressed in a hoodie with no features that would make me stand out.

"Penny?" I hear Atsuko call. "Is, is that really you?"

"...Um...I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"Penny, it's me: Atsuko Kasshoku. Remember?"

After about a ten-second pause, I can't help but look over to see what girly, excited squealing sounds are about, and why they're hugging each other so tight.

"Oh my gosh! I am so _sorry_ , Atsuko!" Penny exclaims on breaking their embrace. "How many years has it been, six? You, you look so different now!"

"All I did was cut my hair and start wearing a bit of makeup," Atsuko remarks, blushing shyly.

"Yeah, but still, it's like so _weird_ seeing you all grown-up now!"

"Yes, you too."

"I really don't think I look too different, do I?"

"No, but I'm glad you don't, otherwise I wouldn't have recognized you and come over to say 'hello'!"

"Not to interrupt whatever reunion you guys are having but are you going to introduce me, or...?" Kayla asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh! Right; sorry, K. Atsuko, this is Kayla: she's a co-worker and a good friend of mine. Kayla, this is Atsuko, she's an old friend of mine from Japan."

Atsuko gives a small bow.

"Nice to meet you, A. I can call you 'A' right?" Kayla asks.

"Sure," the Japanese girl smiles good-naturedly.

"What brings you over to Canada?" Penny asks.

"I'm moving to Riverton, just a little over the way," she explains. "My job required me to."

"Oh, is that so? That's exciting; what do you do, now?" Penny inquires.

"Same thing you do." I can't see from here, but my guess is Atsuko's showing them her HQ trainee badge.

"WHAAAT?!" Kayla squeals.

"Oh my gosh! Atsuko, that's great!"

"Fighting Dr. Waruda helped, but there's so much more evil out there than just one mad genius. I wanted to get into the good fight, like you did."

"Well, in that case, welcome to the good fight!"

So Penny and Atsuko know each other? Huh, small world, I guess. I just hope this doesn't interfere with the juggling act I've got going on.

...Speaking of which, I figure I should probably leave the park before Atsuko figures out I'm here and gives me away. Stealth has never really been my strong suit, but I wish it was something they teach you at Evil U. It's moments like this it really saves my perfect ass.


End file.
